11 of the Worst Schools In Oregon Today

The worst schools in Oregon today are placed in this category because they simply fall short of important markers for educational success. While there are many factors that go into a school’s or a district’s ability to provide resources and opportunities to students, the data is still important to consider. Many of these schools score low in terms of academic scoring, diversity quotas, and graduation rates. The teachers, staff, and faculty of these districts likely work hard to provide despite funding and resource shortcomings, but the grades still stand for some of the worst schools in Oregon today.

Read on to learn about the factors that went into determining the grades for the worst schools in Oregon today. From academic offerings and student-teacher ratios to graduation rates, diversity quotas, extracurriculars, and more. We’ll take a look at public schools in the range of elementary through high school, all over the state of Oregon. Learn exactly why Niche stacks these up as some of the worst schools in Oregon. By the end of this post, you’ll have a better idea of what kinds of things to look out for when it comes to a high-quality education. Let's get into the rankings for these educational centers.

1. Butte Falls Charter School

720 Laurel Avenue, Butte Falls, OR 97522

Starting with Butte Falls Charter School with a D- minus rating on the Niche website. This grade is conceived from data concerning the academic offerings, diversity quota, teachers, and college preparatory abilities of a specific school. Check out more of how Niche gathers this data here. Butte Falls scores a D in Academics, a C+ in Teachers, a B- in Diversity, and a C- in College Prep. This charter school is a public school, serving grades kindergarten through 12th grade. There are just under 200 students enrolled and a student-teacher ratio of 11:1. State test scores show a 10% math proficiency and a 42% reading proficiency overall.

2. Klamath Learning Center

2856 Eberlein Avenue, Klamath Falls, OR 97603

Next, we have the Klamath Learning Center which is a public, online school geared towards grades 9th through 12th. With around 124 students enrolled, the student-teacher ratio is 21:1. The Niche grade for this learning center is a D, with a D in Academics, a C- in Teachers, an A in Diversity, and a C+ in College Prep. 10% of tested students are proficient in math, and testing shows a 15% proficiency in reading. Keep in mind that because this is an online school, some of the markers for success may be different.

3. Urceo-Upper Rogue Center for Educational Opportunities

140 East Main Street, Eagle Point, OR 97524

The Urceo Upper Rogue Center for Educational Opportunities is another online school. It is open for kindergarten through 12th grade, with just under 200 students and a student-teacher ratio of 28:1. Its Niche grade is a D, with a D in Academics, a C+ in Teachers, an A- in Diversity, a C in College Prep and a D in Administration. The average graduation rate is around 15%.

4. Alder Elementary School

17200 Southeast Alder Street, Portland, OR 97233

Located in beautiful Southeast Portland, Oregon, Alder Elementary School has close to 400 students between kindergarten through fifth grade. Proficiencies stand at around 9% for math, and at least 14% in reading. Their Niche grade is a D+, with a C- in Academics, a C- in Teachers, and an A in Diversity. The student-teacher ratio rests around 14:1, which is pretty good in terms of school sizing.

5. Falls City Elementary School

177 Prospect Avenue, Falls City, OR 97344

Falls City Elementary School has a D+ grade through Niche. It has a C- for Academics, a C for Teachers, and a B- for Diversity. With just over 100 students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade, the state testing shows a 12% math and 17% reading proficiency. These percentages come from the whole student body and the state testing administered across all of Oregon.

6. Rivers Edge Academy Charter School

270 West Evans Creek Road, Rogue River, OR 97537

Rivers Edge Academy Charter School caters to grades kindergarten through 12th with just over 200 students enrolled. Its Niche grade is a D+ with a C- in Academics, a C- in Teachers, a B in Diversity, a C- in College Prep, and a C- in Administration. State Testing indicates 22% of the student body is proficient in math, with 37% proficient in reading.

7. Kalapuya High School

1200 North Terry Street, Eugene, OR 97402

Named for a local river, Kalapuya High School is a small public school open to grades 9th through 12th. There are around 100 students enrolled and a student-teacher ratio of 11:1. It has a Niche grade of D+ with a C- in Academics, a C in Teachers, a B+ in Diversity, a C in College Prep, and a C- in Administration. State testing shows a 10% math proficiency and 25% reading proficiency in this particular student body.

8. Roberts High School

3620 State Street, Salem, OR 97301

Roberts High School in Salem, Oregon has a C- grade on Niche. With a D in Academics, a C+ in Teachers, a C+ in Clubs, an A- in Diversity, a C- in College Prep, and a C in Administration. Serving students in 7th through 12th grade there are around just under 500 students enrolled and a student-teacher ratio of around 11:1. Test scores show an 8% math proficiency and 27% reading proficiency.

9. Winter Lakes School

1501 West Central Avenue, Coquille, OR 97423

Winter Lakes School serves grades 8th through 12th with some 300 students enrolled. It has a C- grade on Niche with a D+ in Academics, a C+ in Teachers, a C in Clubs, a B in Diversity, a C in College Prep, and a C+ in Administration. The state testing scores indicate around 8% of the student body is math proficient, with 32% being reading proficient. That is a rather large margin of difference in proficiency.

10. Warm Springs K-8 Academy

50 Chukar Road, Warm Springs, OR 97761

This kindergarten through 8th grade academy is a public school serving just over 500 students. With a student-teacher ratio of 11:1, state testing shows a 7% student-body proficiency in math with a 14% proficiency in reading. The Niche score is a C- with a C- in Academics, a C- in Teachers, and a C+ in Diversity. So, all things considered, this one scores very much as “average” on this list of schools.

11. Vernonia Middle School

1000 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia, OR 97064

And lastly, but not least, we have Vernonia Middle School. Serving just under 130 students in grades 6th through 8th grade, the student-teacher ratio at Vernonia Middle School sits at 13:1. The Niche grade is a C-, with a C- in both Academics and Teachers, but a B in Diversity. Testing shows a 15% mathematics proficiency and a 27% reading proficiency among students at Vernonia Middle School in Oregon.

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